September 19, 2007
DOES ANYONE EDIT THE POST?:
the claim (Washington Post, , September 19, 2007)
"You know, you look back over our history, and it doesn't take you long to realize that our people have shed more blood for other people's liberty than any other combination of nations in the history of the world.''-- Fred D. Thompson, stump speech in Des Moines, Sept. 7
THE FACTS
A grandiose claim that is hard to justify no matter how you define "other people's liberty." [...]
The number of overall U.S. military casualties, while high, is still relatively low in comparison to those of its World War I and World War II allies. In World War II alone, the Soviet Union suffered at least 8 million casualties, or more than 10 times the number of U.S. casualties for all wars combined.
It's possible to imagine a reporter or two who's that alienated from reality, but does everyone at the paper really think the USSR brought liberty to Eastern Europe and the people of Russia? That may be the most heinous claim you'll read in the American media this year. Posted by Orrin Judd at September 19, 2007 2:45 PM
To compound the idiocy, the figure probably includes casualties the Soviets suffered during '39-'41 when they started World War II in league with Hitler! And, of course, it probably also includes many deaths attributable to Stalin directly: purges, gulags, etc.
Posted by: PapayaSF at September 19, 2007 6:02 PM..the tens or even hundreds of thousands they had to murder at the front lines just to get them to defend the USSR from the Germans.
Posted by: oj at September 19, 2007 7:21 PMThe only allies who were fighing for other people's liberty in the two world wars were the US, Canada, and Australia. But Canada and Australia were members of the British Commonwealth, the British monarch was their Head of State. Other allies were fighting for their own survival. Thus, no matter how many lives the allies lost, our people are the only peole shedding blood for other people's liberty.
Posted by: ic at September 20, 2007 4:00 AMI confused again. Didn't I read in this space that the Ruskis won WW2? Now you tell me that their soldiers had to be shot at before they'd defend their homeland. So which is it?
Posted by: erp at September 20, 2007 7:37 AMThe Russians lost. Stalin won.
Posted by: oj at September 20, 2007 10:08 AM